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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Maestas

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/28/08 HB 457

SHORT TITLE UNM Center for Regional Studies

SB

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$1,890.7

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 457 appropriates $1,890.7 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents

of University of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY09 for the Center for Regional

Studies (CRS).

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $1,890.7 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to the

general fund.

A request for the UNM Center for Southwest Research, which includes CRS, was submitted to

the New Mexico Higher Education Department for review. The Departments funding

recommendation for FY09 is a continuance of FY08 recurring funding in the amount $1,905.6.

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies this project as a “would not oppose if funding available" project. Reasons for this

classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department

Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p76.)

House Bill 457 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

As stated by HED, according to information included in the Research and Public Service Project

(RPSP) submitted by UNM, the scope of the request is to promote the quest for knowledge about

New Mexico and the U.S. - Mexico Borderlands region through research and related activities.

Interpretation and analysis of historical and contemporary questions, issues and problems that

stimulate inquiry and debate are encouraged. The target population is students, faculty,

researchers and the general public.

The center offers undergraduate, graduate, thesis, dissertation fellowships/scholarships and a

limited number of postdoctoral and visiting faculty fellowships. Collections and the preservation

of archival materials funded through the CRS have increased access to such information by

researchers and other scholars through libraries, schools, museums and other centers.

•

According to information submitted by UNM in the RPSP, participating students have

advanced in their educational careers as evidenced by their reapplying for financial aid.

•

Awards granted have produced scholarly educational publications, books, plays,

workshops, seminars and conferences that will be disseminated through libraries,

museums, schools and other centers.

•

The CRS awarded 16 fellowships in FY07 and 17 in FY08; awarded 24 research grants in

FY07 and 25 in FY08; awarded 43 scholarships/fellowships in FY07 and 44 in FY08;

funded 18 projects/programs in FY07 and 18 in FY08.

PME/bb